Making of railroad rails



March 3, 1936. F. F. CRAMER ET AL 2,032,738

' I MAKING OF RAILROAD RAILS` Filed May 2l, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5I 1 ii s I N Q m Il I y y' M QQ )Q Q`\ w Q f" l 1 Q g5 c Q S Q Q D E|- Y E' Lg y WQ QSE I [7a/6215075.- FEH/VK GEH/WEE and HQE/@Y H. LUC/(E March 3, 1936. F CRAMER ET AL l y 2,032,738y

MAKING OF RAILROAD RAILS Filed May 21, 1934 2 sheets-sheetl 2 FRAM/K (Eff/MEE and HHB/EY H; LOC/CE.

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Patented Mar. 3, 1936 PATENT OFFICE MAKING 0F RAILROAD RAILS Frank F. Cramer, Swissvale, and Harry H. Locke, Wilkinsburg, Pa..

Application May 21, 1934, Serial N0. 726,784

i claim.

This invention relates to the making of railroad rails, one of the objects being to produce rails whose ends are more resistant to the pounding action of the wheels of passing trafllc. Other objects may be inferred.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan of a rolling mill arrangement showing the features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the end of a railroad rail produced by the above arrangement..

Figure 3 is an enlargement from Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross-section of Figure 3.

These drawings show the finishing train I of a rail mill with a delivery table 2 leading away from of the steel from which they are rolled. They are of such lengths that two orv three suitably lengthed rails may be cut from each by the hotsaws 3. 'I'he resulting rails are then delivered to the conveyer 8 from which they are laterally dragged to the cooling beds 9. The hot-saws 3 are arranged to simultaneously cut the pieces and are as close to the nishing train I as is mechanically possible. Therefore, the pieces which have just left thetrain I are still above their upper critical range during this sawing and for a short time thereafter. They generally cool below this range as they are being dragged from the con' veyerv 8 or very shortly after they are on the cooling beds 9. It is to be understood that they were originally in the form of ingots or blooms.

According to the present invention, spray-heads I0 are arranged adjacent the saws 3 so as to spray the opposite ends of the tops of the heads of rails while they are on the table 2 in cutting positions respecting these saws. 'I'hese spray-heads are all connected to a pipe line II by hoses I2, and this pipe line is supplied with a quenching uid by a pipe I3 through an electrically operated valve I4. The quenching fluid may be any medium which will quickly cool steel when brought into contact with it.v l

The valve I4 may be directly controlled through a line I5 by a push-button I6 located in the operators pulpit 1. If automatic operation is desired, it may be operated by a limit switch I1, which is associated with one of the arms 4, through lines I8 and an interposed electric timer I9. A power supply 20 powers both the lines I5 and I3. For convenience, all of the lines are illustrated by single lines on the drawings, but it should be understood that they may be commercial cables, each containing the required number of conductors. 'I'he electrically operated valve I4 and the timer I9 may be any of those commercially available.

Referring again to the spray-heads I0, it is to be observed thatthere is just one of these at each of the end saws and that there are two at the two middle saws. In all cases, they are arranged so as to be opposite the ends of rails cut by the hotsaws 3. In mills using only three saws, the same relationship will be maintained, there being then only one double arrangement of the spray-heads which will be at the center one of the saws.

The rail-sectioned pieces are ordinarily carried on their sides by the delivery table 2, the heads of these pieces being away from the center/line of the saws. Each of the spray-heads I 0 consists of a header 2| from which a series of nozzles 22 extend towards the heads of the pieces on the delivery table. These nozzles are arranged to parallel the end portions of the rails cut by the saws and are characterized in that they progressively decrease in size away from the one closest to the one of the saws that is adjacent that particular head.

'I'he operation of the foregoing will now be described, it being understood that this operation constitutes a new method of making railroad rails which maybe likewise carried out by the use of other apparatus than that just described.

Ingots or blooms heated to proper rolling temperatures are rolled into rail-sectioned pieces by the rail mill. These pieces leave the finishing train I and are carried by the delivery table 2 into proper cutting positions'respecting the hot-saws 3. 'Ihe operator in the pulpit 1 controls these operations and successively effects operation of the saws 3 so as to cut the extreme ends .of the pieces while simultaneously making two other cuts at spaced points so that suitably lengthed rails result. This is done as soon as possible after the hot-rolling operation, this meaning that the hot-I saws must be as close asis possible to the nishi'ng train.

The operator pushes the button I6 so as to apply the quenching medium to the end portions of the tops of the heads of the rails after the cutting A I9 is then set to cause quenching of therail ends to cease after a certain interval of time. If the limit switch is set so that the quenching is done while the saws are still cutting, care must be taken that the rail heads do not begin hardening too soon, since otherwise the saws will be damaged.

In the case of the spray-heads illustrated, the application o'f the quenching medium will be pro# portioned so that the quenching is greatest at their extreme ends and gradually decreases away from the same. It is obvious that this quenching may be otherwise proportioned to produce the same effects. In all cases the application of the quenching fluid is proportioned, so that the quenching eiects extend only short distances beneath the tops of the heads of the rails, `and is stopped While there is still suilicient heat left in the rails to draw the affected portions sufficiently to eliminate internal strains. In the case of the automatic arrangement illustrated, the electric timer I9 is set to stop the'quenching at a proper time for this purpose.' 'I'he rails are then delivered to the conveyer 8 anddragged to the cooling beds 9.

To aid in disclosing the above method, a rather speciflc example will now be disclosed. It may be assumed that the rails being rolled are of the ordinary weights now currently used by the railroads, and that the quenching uid is water at temperatures ordinarily found in the pipe lines yserving a rail mill. Immediately upon the completion of the cutting of the pieces into such rails by the hot-saws, the water is applied against the tops of their heads. With an arrangement similar to the one illustrated and described, the rails will still be above their upper critical ranges so that hardening will result. 'Ihe application of the spray should be proportioned so that the hardening effect extends to a depth o1 about three-quarters of an inch beneath the tops of the heads of the rails, and extends a longitudinal distance of-not more than'n inches. II the water is applied in reasonable amounts, the time period required should not be more than from ten to twenty seconds in order to produce the results described.

So far as is known, the present inventors are the iirst to produce a railroad rail having a hardened end. A rail produced by their method and apparatus is characterized by having the top of its head hardened at at least one end to a depth of not more than .75 inch and to a longitudinal distance of not more than ten inches, the hardened area gradually decreasing in depth away from the extreme end of the rail and being practically free from internal strains. 'I'he gradual decrease in depth is obtained by the use of the spray-heads described, while the freedom of strain results from the discontinuance of the quenching at a time when there is still sulcient heat left in the rails to draw back the hardened area.

The gradual decrease in depth is of value because it prevents any tendency oi the hardened area to shatter under the pounding impact of the wheels of trafllc. Ordinarily, the effective hardened surface will not extend more than from six to eight inches away from the extreme end of the rail.

Figure 2 shows the general shape of the hardened area. It might be mentioned that a somewhat similar shape results even if the quenching is done evenly instead of in diminishing amounts, since the longitudinal heat transmission along the rail will eiect this result. i

We claim:

A method oi' making railroad rails, including hot-rolling ingots or blooms into rail-sectioned pieces, cutting said pieces into suitably lengthed rails as soon as possible after the completion of said hot-rolling, and applying a quenching medium to the end portions of the tops of the heads of said rails after said cutting has started or immediately upon its completion, the application of said quenching vmedium being proportioned so that the quenching eifects extend only short distances beneath said tops and so that vthey are greatest at their extreme ends and gradually decrease away therefrom, said application being stopped While there is still suilicient heat lett in said rails to draw the ailected portions sumciently to eliminate internal strains.

FRANK F. CRAMER. HARRY H. LOCKE. 

